Russia has received ballistic missiles from Iran and is likely to use them against Ukraine “within weeks”, the US secretary of state has said.

Antony Blinken told reporters in London that the shipment of short-range missiles would pose a “threat to all Europe”.

It came as Mr Blinken and David Lammy, the UK Foreign Secretary, announced that they would travel to Kyiv together to consult with Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, on military aid and strategy before a key US-British summit on Friday.

In London, Mr Blinken said: “Dozens of Russian military personnel ... were trained in Iran to use the Fath 360 close-range ballistic missile system, which has a maximum range of 75 miles.”

“Russia has now received shipments of these ballistic missiles and will likely use them within weeks in Ukraine against Ukrainians.”

“This is a threat, not only to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, but to all of Europe.”

Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, and David Lammy, the UK Foreign Secretary, will travel to Kyiv to consult with Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president Credit: Neil Hall/EPA

Iran already sells Shahed attack drones to Moscow and has helped build a factory inside Russia to produce them for use against Ukraine.

The Fath 360, a satellite-guided missile with a 150-kilogram warhead, is a significantly more powerful weapon and will allow Russia to dedicate more on its longer-range missiles such as the Iskander M against targets deeper inside Ukraine.

Mr Lammy described the move as “a significant and dangerous escalation”.

He said: “Today, alongside our international partners, we are calling out this behaviour and its attempts to undermine global security.”

Britain, France, and Germany said that they were cancelling the bilateral arrangements with Iran that allows Iran Air, its national carrier, to fly services into the UK and Europe.

Sanctions were also announced on five Russian cargo ships said to have transported the weapons across the Caspian Sea.

Russian missile and drone strikes have inflicted severe damage on Ukraine’s energy grid in recent months.

‘Dozens of Russian military personnel ... were trained in Iran to use the Fath 360 close range ballistic missile system,’ said Mr Blinken Credit: Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Mr Zelensky has been pushing for permission to use Western-provided long-range missiles to target launch sites inside Russia in response, but Joe Biden, the US president, has so far vetoed the request because of risks of escalating the war into a direct Nato-Russian conflict.

Mr Lammy and Mr Blinken announced that they would travel together to Kyiv to consult with Mr Zelensky about Ukraine’s current needs this week, but refused to say whether the restrictions would be lifted.

The purpose “to hear directly from the Ukrainian leadership how they see their needs in this moment, toward what objectives, and what we can do to support them”, Mr Blinken said.

The trilateral discussions are expected to inform a summit in Washington between Sir Keir Starmer, the UK Prime Minister, and Mr Biden on Friday.

The “strategic in-depth discussion” in Washington is expected to cover both aid to Ukraine and efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza and reduce tensions in the Middle East.

Mr Lammy said of the Iranian missile move: 'We are calling out this behaviour and its attempts to undermine global security' Credit: Pacific Press/LightRocket

Britain has officially granted permission to Ukraine to fire Storm Shadows, but in practice such strikes would rely on American technology to succeed.

The flurry of transatlantic diplomacy follows reports of tensions between Downing Street and the White House over both Ukraine and the Middle East.

US officials were reportedly annoyed by Mr Lammy’s decision last week to suspend exports of some weapons to Israel over concerns about war crimes in Gaza.

British officials have let it be known that the US is effectively blocking Ukraine’s use of UK-made missiles in Russia.

On Saturday, Richard Moore, the chief of MI6, and Bill Burns, the director of the CIA, made a joint appearance at a Financial Times event in London, during which they praised the importance of the “special relationship” in maintaining peace and security around the world.

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.